What do you know about your lysine source?

What do you know about your lysine source?

The source of lysine in your ration, may or may not be something you’ve given serious consideration to. However, lysine is one of the first two limiting amino acids in a lactating cow’s diet and plays a critical role in milk production potential.

Lysine is available to the animal through feedstuffs, with blood meal as one of the more common sources of lysine in the diet. The rising price of blood meal is giving dairy producers and nutritionists a reason to look at rumen protected lysine products. That’s according to Dr. Andy Mueller, manager of dairy nutrition and technical support with Purina Animal Nutrition in Minnesota.

Selecting an alternative lysine source isn’t as easy as it sounds though says Mueller. “Not all lysine sources are created equal and in the last several years the market has been flooded with protected lysine sources. As a result, determining the best source doesn’t come without some serious evaluation.”

But, Mueller says that too often, in his experience, dairy producers and nutritionists will look at price per ton when evaluating alternative lysine sources, but that’s not the only thing to look at. “What are you getting per ton, is the better question to ask,” he says. “Evaluating cost per gram of metabolizable lysine may provide better insights into what you’re getting.”

For example one source of lysine, USA Lysine™, is 44 percent metabolizable lysine, contains 200 grams per pound and costs $3.37 per pound, which figures out to be $0.017 per gram of metabolizable lysine. In comparison another lysine source, is 7.4 percent metabolizable lysine, contains 34 grams per pound, costs $1.43 per pound, but when you evaluate cost per gram of metabolizable lysine your spending $0.031.

“The cost per gram of metabolizable lysine you receive from a product can be a bit deceiving if you only look at cost per ton,” notes Mueller.

With the price of blood meal tracking around $1,400 per ton, looking at alternative lysine sources is definitely appealing. Mueller does point out that evaluating blood meal on a metabolizable lysine basis shouldn’t be overlooked either “At the current price of $1,400 per ton, the price per pound of metabolizable lysine from blood meal $10.62 while from USA Lysine™ it is less than $8.00.

Purina Animal Nutrition LLC(www.purinamills.com ) is a national organization serving producers, animal owners and their families through more than 4,700 local cooperatives, independent dealers and other large retailers across the United States. Driven by an uncompromising commitment to animal excellence, Purina Animal Nutrition is an industry innovator, offering America's leading brands of complete feeds, supplements, premixes, ingredients and specialty technologies for the livestock and lifestyle animal markets. Headquartered in Shoreview, Minn., Purina Animal Nutrition LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, Inc.